Page 14 of Pucking Only

CARSON

I knewsomething was up when I saw Jensen walking into my apartment building. He and Grace spend most of their time at his place, so it was weird when I pulled up to the building in my truck and saw him going inside by himself. Since it was on my way up to my apartment anyway, I decided to stop by Grace’s to say hi, and make sure everything is okay.

I was not prepared to come face-to-face with Skyler McKenzie when my sister’s door opened. I’m not sure what I expected to happen when I saw Skyler again after so many years, but getting an immediate erection wasn’t anywhere near at the top of my list.

Grace had told me Skyler was coming, but she’d failed to mention the exact time and day she’d get here. I hadn’t expected to find her in Grace’s apartment. Now, though, I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me.

In this moment, it fully hits me how long it’s been since I’ve seen her in person. Going to college in different states and having busy schedules made it too easy to not notice how much time has actually passed. It’s not like a plane ticket from Florida to Michigan is cheap. Grace hates longcar rides, so what motivation would Skyler have ever had to come visit me? Grace and I had already gone months without seeing each other during our college years…but Skyler and I would go years without running into each other.

Gazing down at her now, she’s both exactly as I remember her and totally different in so many noticeable ways. Skyler had always been the cute, nerdy type.

Somehow, she’s turned into a freaking wet dream.

Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back in a clip at the back of her head, but tendrils have come loose and are falling in whisps around her face. Her brown eyes are wide as she stares back up at me. The glasses she’s wearing are sleek and stylish. She’s lush and curvy and, fuck, I need to stop oggling her right now. Grace and Jensen are right behind her in the apartment, watching us.

“Uh…hey, Skyler,” I murmur, breaking the strained silence between us. “Nice to… see you.”

She blinks, seeming to come out of a daze.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says in a dry tone before slamming the door shut in my face.

What the hell? I blink, stunned. I snap out of my baffled state and bang my fist on the door.

“Hey!” I shout. “Open up! I pay for this damn apartment! Let me in!”

The door is opened again, but it’s Grace standing in front of me, looking exasperated. Skyler is standing behind her, holding up both her hands, flipping me off.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Star,” I tease as I stroll into the apartment, giving her a smug smile.

“It’s Skyler, asshole!” she snaps.

Shaking my head, I reply, “Nope, you’re still too small to be the sky.”

She glares up at me and I feel a pressure low in my stomach. Actually, lower. Like, really low.

Like almost dick-level low.

On one side, the physical distance between us clearly did nothing to tamper down our mutual desire to always be at each other's throats. On the other hand, I realize it’s doing something to me that keeps my cock stirring in my pants. Fuck, I can’t be hard the entire time I’m with my sister.

“That’s just the warm greeting I was hoping for,” I sigh, shaking my head and pretending to be aggravated. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I know I promised Grace I would behave. Unfortunately, Skyler has the uncanny ability to rile me with just a few words.

Her eyes narrow. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want trumpets and fanfare? Should I roll the red carpet out for you?”

I roll my eyes in irritation. “I mean, if you’re asking….”

Her nostrils flare and my blood seems to pump faster and faster through my veins. Bickering with her always gives me a weird rush that I’ve never been able to understand. It makes me want to push her even more. Getting her riled up will make it easier for me to remember why she gets on my nerves so I’ll be able to ignore whatever the fuck it is I’m feeling right now

I open my mouth to say something else snarky and clever. She suddenly bites her lip and my brain short circuits. My eyes lock in on the small movement and the thought of her nibbling on something else entirely toys with my mind…

“Well, good to know that some things never change,” she snaps. “You’re still an arrogant asshole.”

Her words snap me out of my inner thoughts. I quickly reply, “And you’re still a pain in the ass.”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Grace declares, stomping forward and elbowing her way past Skyler. She glares at bothof us before giving me her full attention. “You can come in if you can behave. I’m not taking sides. You are both acting like children. Just remember, this is going to be Skyler’s apartment for the next few weeks. You need to be nice, otherwise, get lost.”

I open my mouth to reply, but movement in the hallway to my right startles me. I turn and find a food delivery man watching us with a frown and a plastic bag filled with Chinese food containers in his hand.

“Uhhhh, I have a delivery for Grace?” he says.